Program Overview
Economics Program
The Economics program at Ohio State University is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of economic principles and their applications. Economics is the study of how individuals, businesses, and governments make decisions and how the market mediates those decisions across a wide range of domains.
Degree Options
The Department of Economics offers a major in economics leading to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS).
- The BA is less quantitative and is broader in scope, allowing students to combine interests in other areas of study.
- The BS program has a stronger quantitative component that prepares students for graduate work in economics and careers in analytical areas of government and business.
Curriculum
Students completing either the BA or BS degree are required to take:
- Principles of Microeconomics
- Principles of Macroeconomics
- One economics writing course
- 15 credit hours of economics elective courses, including six credit hours at the 5000 level
- Students in both degree tracks take courses in intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics
- The BS courses are calculus-based and require a Calculus II or equivalent prerequisite
- BA students complete one course of elementary econometrics and Math 1130, 1148 or the equivalent
- BS students complete a two-course econometric sequence for which Statistics 2450 is a prerequisite
- Students completing the BS are required to maintain a 2.25 GPA overall and in the major
Study Abroad
The Economics of Immigration is a three-credit spring semester course where students learn about the opportunity cost for immigrants, the effects of the flow of money, and the loss of labor and human capital on economic growth. Participants meet on campus once a week during spring semester and then travel to Tijuana, Mexico, over spring break.
Internship
Students can participate in a variety of internships in the private sector, state agencies, and federal organizations. The economics department and Ohio State alumni help students make connections with prospective employers to strengthen job placement and build a network of friends who support undergraduate education and training.
Honors and Scholars
Honors students within the Department of Economics receive instruction from faculty members in six different Honors courses. Almost all Honors students take the BS degree. Students from the Honors Program are well-prepared for careers in law, economics, and business.
Research
Economics students have many opportunities to assist faculty with research. Many of the faculty hire undergraduate students to work on research projects by assisting with data collection, information processing, or data analysis. The Department of Economics faculty includes some of the worlds leading researchers in microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, economic history, and experimental economics.
Student Organizations
The Undergraduate Economics Society (UES) is a student organization run by economics majors and advised by a faculty member. The UES provides students with a weekly forum to discuss current economic policy topics and to hear presentations on faculty member research.
Possible Careers
Economic analysis is used routinely in business decision-making, as a policy-making tool in government, and in legal analysis involving business practices and personal injury cases. Students have career opportunities in business, government, finance, consulting, and education.
Salary Estimates
The mean starting income for students with a bachelor's degree in economics is $61,038 according to a 2018 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the mean annual wage for economists in 2017 at $102,490.